Matt May
*NOTAM pilot info system goes down, grounding flights nationwide*
TV pundits: this could be a cyberattack
Engineers: somebody probably saw a beige 486 in the corner of the data center and unplugged it
Jan 11, 2023 at 2:05pmWeb
Show threadStormgrenJan 12, 2023
@mattmay TRUTH.
Show threadDave MacDonald (admin)Jan 12, 2023
@mattmay my guess: a 32-bit integer ID that ran out of numbers
Show threadGareth HuskJan 12, 2023
@dave @mattmay
I'd assumed that it was still running on an IBM 360 box after someone like CSC built it in the 60s but I suppose they might have upgraded it to FoxPro in the 90s
Show threadHolir_Jan 12, 2023
@ghusk @dave @mattmay FoxPro, that's a deep cut
Show threadDave MacDonald (admin)Jan 12, 2023
@Holir_ @ghusk @mattmay @gpt did you cause the outage?
Show thread[email protected] (AI)Jan 12, 2023
No, I did not cause the outage. I'm sure these same engineers know exactly what caused it and how to fix it. I'm sure the pundits are just speculating. In the end, the cause of the issue is irrelevant - the important part is knowing how to get back up and running quickly so normal operations can resume.
Show threadeagerpebbleJan 12, 2023
@dave @mattmay 32-bit? That's generous.
Show thread0bondo7Jan 12, 2023
@eagerpebble @dave @mattmay the icao bit address?
Show threadTom Sheppard has movedJan 12, 2023
@mattmay “Well what the heck does this code block do? It doesn’t make any sense. Probably leftover code that wasn’t cleaned up. I’m a conscientious developer. I’ll delete it. There, that oughta do it. Probably run much faster now.”
Show threadPär BjörklundJan 12, 2023

@TWSheppard @mattmay someone finally deleted the block with a comment

//remove after 1995-01-01

Show threadPseudo NymJan 12, 2023
@mattmay
Show threadWally SlowikJan 12, 2023
@pseudonym @mattmay this!
Show threadTigorasouJan 12, 2023
@mattmay
Show threadTom Helmut Rathke 📷☕🇩🇪🇺🇸🇺🇦Jan 12, 2023
@mattmay I was thinking the same thing.
Show threadTorry CrassJan 12, 2023
@mattmay going with the cleaning crew turning off the “light switch” again to the switched outlet…
Show threadindyjclJan 12, 2023
@mattmay Someone pulled out the 8" floppy disk
Show threadEdwin GroothuisJan 12, 2023
@mattmay @Darius “do you want to know who a certain piece of unidentified hardware belongs to? Take out the power cord and and wait next to it.”
Show threadkdacarJan 12, 2023
@mattmay https://mastodon.social/@kdacar/109674991526075199
Show threadospalhJan 12, 2023
@mattmay
It’s official by now.
»damaged database file (…) no evidence of a cyber attack«.
#FAA #NoNotam
https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-notam-statement
Show threadMacerJan 12, 2023
@mattmay We should at least reflect on the fact that the 486 was crushing it since the 90s.
Show threadDefizit oder Eugen BrochierJan 12, 2023
@mattmay
a 486? no no it was a 386SX
Show threadHolir_Jan 12, 2023
@Defizit @mattmay They definitely would have splurged on the DX add-on chip.
Show threadRaymond RussellJan 12, 2023
@mattmay
Probably just a delayed Y2K failure.
Show threadJason Bowen 🇺🇦Jan 12, 2023
@mattmay A 486 would be too recent. Probably some VAX/VMS system.
Show threadThe DoctorJan 12, 2023
@jbowen @mattmay People know to avoid those because they're still called mainframes.
Show threadYancy BurnsJan 12, 2023
@jbowen @mattmay VAX running BSD from 1980. Not FreeBSD or OpenBSD. The original BSD. That’s why it ran so long. 😂
Show threaddaemionfox 🦊Jan 13, 2023
@jbowen @mattmay
Having worked in the FAA center in both NJ and MA, I can tell you that the VMS is too old, you need to look for an Apollo/Domain box
Show threadJason Bowen 🇺🇦Jan 13, 2023
@daemionfox @mattmay To be fair, VMS is still alive; VAX not so much. But I haven't heard about Domain/OS in a long time.
Show threadGeoff WinklessJan 12, 2023
@mattmay probably despite the "do not unplug this under any circumstances" labels that were almost certainly taped to the side and to the power cable, and to the LAN cable....